News

Foreign Minister Announcement Severing Ties with Iran

January 03, 2016

Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir today announced Saudi Arabia's decision to break off diplomatic relations with Iran and requesting all personnel of its diplomatic mission to leave the country within 48 hours.

His Excellency Adel Al-Jubeir opening remarks:

After you have been briefed on the details of the attacks on the Saudi missions in Iran, I would like to point out that the Iranian regime has a long record in the inviolability of foreign diplomatic missions, including, for example, the attack on the US embassy in 1979, and attack on the British Embassy in 2011, and yesterday, the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and general consulate in Mashhad.

These ongoing attacks on diplomatic missions constitute a flagrant violation of all international agreements, charters and treaties.

Also, these attacks come after aggressive statements issued by prominent Iranian figures, a blatant provocation that encouraged attacks on the Kingdom's missions.

These attacks are considered a continuation of Iranian regime’s aggressive policy in the region, which aims to destabilize the security and stability, and to provoke conflict and wars.

And this is confirmed with the Iranian regime providing a safe haven on its territory for al-Qaeda ‎leaders since 2001.‎ The Iranian regime has also provided protection for a number of those involved in the bombing of the Khobar Towers in 1996.

In addition to these acts of aggression, the Iranian regime is smuggling weapons and explosives and planting terrorist cells in the region, including the Kingdom, to spread turmoil.

The history of Iran is full of negative and aggressive interferences in the affairs of Arab countries, and is always accompanied by devastation and destruction, and killing of innocent lives.

The Kingdom, under these facts, announces the severance of diplomatic relations with Iran, and requests all members of the Iranian diplomatic mission (embassy - consular - of the two offices) to leave within 48 hours.

The Iranian Ambassador has been informed of this.

Contact

The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037